The Rising Darkness
by Ezra Soulthief
Summary: The Grimm are growing stronger, faster, smarter. Remnant's response? Huntsman team HRMN (Horsemen). Join Hunter, Raven, Mors, and Navira as they attend Beacon and battle humans and Grimm alike for the fate of their world. Rated T for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

Hunter Soulthief

The hour of midnight is commonly called the haunting hour. There is a blood moon tonight, and all is silent as a black specter glides through the woods silently. It stops in a clearing, then reaches up and pulls down its hood to reveal the face of a teen with purple eyes and silver hair. The teen looks up at the shattered moon, draws in a deep breath, then slowly lets it out and opens his eyes. He hears howls all around him, and he turns to see Beowulves surrounding him. Two of them charge towards him, and his eyes blaze up. The first reaches him and slashes, its claws passing through empty air as the teen vanishes with a loud _bamf!_ and a puff of black smoke. He reappears behind the Beowulf and leaps onto its back. He places his hands on either side of the monsters head, and it starts howling in pain as he pushes his hands together. Its skull shatters, and it dissolves into black dust, which is pulled into the teen's duster as he leaps toward the second Beowulf, his heel connecting with the side of its head. He follows it up with a flurry of propeller kicks, whirling like a dervish, and then kicks the monster in the temple with the back of his heel. The beast's skull breaks with a crack like a gunshot, and it dissolves into more dust, which is pulled into the teen's duster. Four more Beowulves leap out and the teen reaches back and pulls out a sword, which extends and widens into a black sword with a six foot long, foot wide blade. Then, a massive round shield spirals out from his arm, and the Beowulf's claws skate off of it. He lashes out with the edge of his shield, and the molecularly sharp edge slices the Beowulf in half. Then he spins and slices another Beowulf's head off, then spins again and the edge of his shield takes off the head of another Beowulf. Three more charge out, and he throws his shield. The shield slices through them and returns to his arm, slicing through the last Beowulf. Then a massive shadow moves through the forest and emerges into the clearing to reveal an Alpha Beowolf. The teen leaps forward and slashes at the beast, but it dodges nimbly and slashes him across the back, tearing three rents in the fabric and his back. He arches his back and grunts from the pain, then falls to his knees as his shield and claymore skitter away from him. He gets back to his feet and draws a pair of long daggers from sheathes on his belt. Shadows writhe around the blades, and chains leap out from the pommel and wrap around his arms. He leaps towards the Alpha again and slashes at it again. The beast dodges again and slashes him across the face, leaving a gash from his forehead over his right eye to his chin. He closes his eyes, and when he opens them again, they turn flaming red. He reaches behind and pulls out a massive scythe, and then the shadows began to writhe and shift around his body. His outline began to grow, until it towered over the Alpha. The shadows around his body vanished to reveal a massive black dragon standing on its hind legs, carrying a massive scythe. It lashed out, and the Alpha jumped back, then slashed at the dragon only to have its claws skate harmlessly off its scales. The dragon slashed the Alpha across its chest, and then hit it into the air with an uppercut. The dragon vanished, then reappeared under the Beowulf and hit it higher. It vanished again and reappeared above the Beowulf and sliced it in half from above. The halves landed, followed by the dragon, whose form dissolved into shadow and shrank into the young man. The halves dissolved into dust, which was pulled into the boy's duster as he placed his scythe back onto the back of his belt. He grabbed the chains that were still attached to his arms and pulled, his daggers flying back to his hands, and he resheathed them. The chains unwrapped themselves and retracted back into the dagger's pommels. Then he held out his hands and his claymore and shield flew back to his hands. The shield spiraled back into a mechanism on his wrist and the claymore shrank back to broadsword form as he replaced it onto his back.

Beacon Academy, Midnight:

"Hmmmm… interesting," said Professor Ozpin. "Computer… identify the young man on the screen and transmit his profile to my scroll." A moment later, his scroll chimes and he looks down at it as the file opens.

**Name: Hunter Soulthief**

**Height: 6'5**

**Weight: 150 lbs**

**Race: Nephilim (Human-Grimm hybrid)**

**Aura: unknown**

**Semblance: Aura Theft/Control (variable strengths: copy. Allows him to copy a friend's Aura with no harm to the person. Half-strength: steal. Allows him to steal a person's Aura for two hours. During those two hours, the person can't access their Aura, and Hunter can utilize it for two hours. Full-strength: soul theft. This strength is always fatal. Hunter will steal someone's soul and be able to utilize their Aura and Semblance permanently. There is one weakness. He has to channel his semblance through a pair of gauntlets that he always wears or the power will consume him and destroy his soul, turning him into a mega-Grimm. Also, if he becomes enraged to the point of berserking, he will raise the souls of all those who perished battling the Grimm to fight by his side in the form of tall, thin, purple-eyed wraiths that can teleport.)**

**Grimm abilities: he has immense amounts of natural strength, speed, flexibility, and agility, as well as having incredibly fast reflexes, regenerative abilities, and incredibly high bodily durability. He also has a natural immunity to King Taijitu venom. He is also a natural shapeshifter because of his Grimm side, and will shapeshift into a massive Grimm that looks like a black dragon standing on its hind legs and carrying a gigantic scythe when he becomes enraged.**

**Weapons: One claymore, named Chaoseater. (Transforms into mortar, two miniguns, or single minigun with mortar barrel in the middle.) One HVSS (high-velocity sniper scythe), named Harvester, which transforms into rocket launcher and sniper rifle. Two daggers, named Ebony and Ivory, which transform into .50 pistols or chain-blades. One silver chain, named Frakir, inhabited by a semi-sentient entity that follows commands from Hunter only. 33 throwing knives and two wrist-mounted knife launchers. **

**Armor: he has a device that looks like a Bluetooth on his ear. If he reaches up and presses a button, metal will flow out and cover his entire body, increasing his height by two feet and doubling his size. (METAL MARIO, MUTHA FUCKAHS!)**

**Alternate armor: (look up war from Darksiders, shrink him a little, and change his color scheme to black.)**

**History: His parents are the king and queen of a small, hard-to-find kingdom under siege by Grimm. His father was fighting to contain a Grimm that had been experimented on alongside his soldiers when some of its blood splashed into a gash on his arm. The Grimm was a hybrid of a King Taijitu, Ursa Major, Alpha Beowolf, and Giant Nevermore. He was fortunate that he had an incredibly powerful Aura, and he managed to beat it back, but it left its mark on him. His mother was a Dust consumer, and it also left an indelible mark on her. When Hunter was born, he had wings, and as he grew up, he developed immense amounts of natural strength, speed, and agility, and gained the senses of a Grimm tenfold. He is also a natural shapeshifter because of his Grimm side.**


	2. Chapter 2

Raven Nightshade

Calm. Cool. Collected. The girl seemed to be the very embodiment of these words. She of the black hair, emerald-green cat eyes, and tanned skin. She was wearing a green jacket with a pentacle on the back, as well as a pair of slits on either side of the pentacle, a black pair of jeans, and bare feet. Her jeans had a hole in the back, and an emerald green, scaly, reptilian tail emerged from it. She was standing balanced on the tip of a spire of rock, the tip of her tail twitching back and forth as she slowly looked down from the top of the spire. From the top of the spire, she caught the barest glimpse of scales on the ground, moving fast. She held out her arms and slowly tipped forward, falling rapidly towards the surface of the earth. Just before she hit, a massive pair of green bat wings, no, _dragon_ wings unfolded out through the slits in her backs, and she leveled out and began gliding above the forest floor, following the trail of crushed vegetation. She had been tracking the King Taijitu for three days now, and she knew that she wouldn't get another chance like this for quite a while. The snake had destroyed her village while she was at Signal Academy, and she had left the academy to hunt it down and kill it, in vengeance for her village. After about an hour, she glided into a clearing and landed to look for the trail. It petered out in the middle of the clearing, and she stood there for a moment, looking around. Then, the ground exploded underneath her, and the black head of the Grimm knocked her into the air. It shot up after her and snapped at her she snapped out her wings and hung in the air. Then she dropped back down to the ground, reached back, and pulled out a short metal rod. It extended into a staff with a three-foot long sword blade at one end, and she tapped a bracelet on her wrist, which formed into a tower shield. She began slashing and stabbing at the snake, when she felt a pinprick at her neck and her entire body exploded in pain. She screamed and collapsed, fainting from the pain. The white head of the snake Grimm had risen behind her and pricked her neck with one fang, injecting its venom into the prick. Then, the girl's entire body began glowing as she leaped to her feet and thrust out her hands. A pentacle formed in front of each head and fire shot from them into the snake's faces. It hissed in pain, and then struck towards the girl. She sidestepped and slammed the knuckles of one wing into the side of the black head. A shockwave went through the head and it exploded. The other head hissed in agony, then literally froze as another pentacle materialized around its neck and exploded with ice, then fire. Its head was flash frozen, then burned to ash. The girl straightened up and replaced her sword staff on her back. Her tower shield shrank back into her bracer, and she kicked up off the ground and flew back to Signal Academy.

Beacon Academy, Morning:

"This is the second time a hunter this powerful has shown up since midnight," Ozpin commented to Goodwitch. "Show me this girl's profile." The file opened on his scroll:

**Name: Raven Nightshade**

**Height: 6'5**

**Weight: 130 lbs**

**Race: Dragon Faunus**

**Aura: Guardian Light**

**Weapons: a spear with assault rifle and sword forms named Dervish**

**Semblance: Pentacles (similar to Weiss's Glyphs. They can summon various elemental effects, as well as acting as long-range teleport beacons, and focal points for spells. They also have an enrage function. When Navira becomes enraged, she can summon demon Grimm.)**

**History: when she was three years old, her mother was by the Grimm. Her father followed three years later. She spent the next six years in the care of her aunt, who was a Huntress. At the age of 12, she was accepted to Signal Academy. A year into her stay at Signal, her village was destroyed. –End of transmission-**


	3. Chapter 3

Mors Darkreaver

It was night in Vytal City, and the streets were bustling. Hissing could be heard coming from a nearby warehouse. Inside, a tall, bulky young man with long blond hair and gray wolf ears, wearing an electric blue tank top that showed off his muscular arms, tan cargo pants, and an electric blue sleeveless duster, sat before an easel, an airbrush held gently between his massive fingers. He placed the finishing touches on the painting, and stepped back to admire it. It was a landscape of Vytal's skyline as seen from the sea, and it was as perfect as a photograph. The blonde straightened up and took the canvas off the easel, then rolled it up and walked out of the warehouse, onto the busy streets. He walked into a shop, and said to the owner, "I finished the landscape. How much are you willing to pay?" They haggled back and forth for a minute, and then shook hands. The blonde handed the canvas over, then turned and walked out of the shop. He walked back to the warehouse and came back out a moment later riding on a chopper with wheels of electricity Dust.

He drove up to one of his favorite haunts and was getting off his bike when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw a guy wearing a black fedora, red shades, and black suit. He said to the guy, "Can I help you?" "Yeah, how much for the bike?" "Oh, it's not for sale. You could get another one made at any good garage though…" The black-clad man said, "I didn't say I wanted another one. I said I wanted that one," as he pulled a pistol from a concealed holster. The blond slowly stood up, towering over the goon, and cracked his knuckles, neck, and back. Then, faster than the eye could track, he punched the man in the chest. The man went flying for about twenty feet before kissing a wall at 30 miles an hour. More of the guys came out of the nearby building, and the young man pulled out something that looked like a stick. He stepped forward, and poked one the thugs with it. It shifted into a shock prod, and he shocked the shoes off the thug. He pressed a button on the handle, and it shifted into a gun that looked like the child of an over-under AA-12 shotgun and a grenade launcher. He cranked the pump, and then pulled the trigger. The gun roared, and the barrage of slugs clipped several men. The men immediately collapsed, jittering like someone had shot them with tasers. "Guess your pals made a positively _shocking_ discovery about what my slugs do," the young man said, grinning. Then he broke his shotgun, and it formed into a massive bow with a string made out of blue energy. He leaped up into the air and drew the bow. Arrows formed out of electricity and lined the bow until it was covered end to end with them. He released the string, and the arrows rained down into the men, hitting several more. Then he landed and grabbed the middle of the bow in one hand and the end in the other. The bow shifted into a massive warhammer, and he leaped forward with help from a grenade and landed in the middle of the men, slamming his hammer into the ground. A shockwave rippled out, and he began swinging his hammer, another man sent flying with each swing. He slammed the last man, and then replaced the hammer on his back.

Beacon Academy, Midnight:

Professor Ozpin watched the video with amazement. "It is happening…." he whispered to himself. He open the young man's file:

**Name: Mors Darkreaver**

**Height: 6'11**

**Weight: 300 lbs**

**Race: Wolf Faunus**

**Semblance: Lightning (not only can he summon lightning from the sky, he can also move faster than lightning when he wants to, and it gives him immunity to electricity)**

**Weapons: an over-under drum fed shotgun named Mjollnir, with a grenade launching upper barrel and slug shooting lower barrel. It transforms into a bow that shoots arrows made of energy, then into a warhammer (like Nora's)**

**History: as a Faunus, he suffered through the prejudice as a child. His family lived on the outskirts of Vale, and his parents died in a Grimm attack when he was six. He and his little sister went to live with their human aunt, who was cruel and abusive. When he was 12, and his sister was 10, they ran away to Signal Academy, and became the youngest students ever accepted.**


	4. Chapter 4

Navira Phynx

The girl seemed to be the epitome of little girl. Dressed all in red, with a red scarf, short red hair, and a pair of fox ears poking up through her hair, she was grinning and laughing at the slightest thing. She felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned to see a man wearing black clothes and red shades. He pulled a pistol on her and said, "Give me all your money, kid." The girl looked at the gun in shock for a moment, then dropped to her knees and started crying. The guy lowered the pistol, and then went flying as the girl punched him in the nuts. More of the men came out, and the girl started laughing. She pulled a pair of rods off her thighs and they lengthened into a pair of broadswords that lit on fire. Then she darted into the group of men and knocked them all out. She turned to see a group of White Fang breaking into a Dust shop. She darted over and slashed down one of them. The rest turned to her and opened fire with their guns, kicking up a cloud of dust. Then, they saw a red glow coming from within, and an outline started moving within. It opened a pair of glowing golden eyes and a Cheshire cat grin spread across its face. The girl came walking out, her entire body glowing redly. She charged forward and the Fang drew their swords. She slashed at the first Fang, cutting him down, then spun and slashed down another. She kept spinning and slashing until she cut down the last Faunus. Then she heard something humming behind her, like the humming of massive servo motors, and she spun just in time to be punched by an Atlesian Paladin mech. She flew backwards through three buildings to land under the freeway. The mech leaped over the buildings and landed under the freeway in front of a crater with the girl lying inside it. The Paladin slammed its fist down into the crater, only to have the girl catch it and shove it back. The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a lighter, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She flicked it, and her entire body lit on fire. Then she held out her hands and her swords shot back to her. She joined them at the hilt and then grabbed the tip of one. The swords shifted and formed into a 6-foot long, foot wide claymore, and she leaped up and slashed at the Paladin, opening a rent in its armor. She began darting around its feet, slashing another gash with every pass, and then leaped up again. A massive pair of wings, made of pure flame, spread out from her back as she sliced down on the mech. The mech was sliced clean in half, and she landed and replaced her swords on her thighs as the sun rose above the horizon.

Beacon Academy, Morning:

Ozpin finished watching the video, then opened the girl's file:

**Name: Navira Phynx**

**Weight: 100 lbs**

**Height: 5'0**

**Race: Fire-fox Faunus (GET IT! GET IT! A FIRE-fox!)**

**Semblance: Phoenix/Berserker (she lights herself on fire and it gives her temporary invincibility, as well as superhuman strength, speed, and agility. Also, the more she gets hit, the stronger she becomes. The last facet of her ability is self-immolation. If she gets wounded to the point of death, she will burn her body to ash from the inside out, then reform from the ashes.)**

**Weapons: a pair of broadswords, named Mercy and Redemption, that can shift into a pair of SMGs. When joined at the hilts, the swords shift into a claymore named Salvation. The claymore can shift into a minigun with a flamethrower attachment that shoots incendiary rounds.**

**History: she is the sister of Mors Darkreaver. At the age of 10, she was the youngest student ever accepted into Signal Academy.**


	5. Chapter 5

Serena

Location: Abandoned laboratory, exact location unknown

A holo-screen flickered to life in the only building still standing. Data scrolled, and then it shut itself down as a large capsule the size of a man began humming and glowing. A Beowulf shambled into the room to investigate the noise, then jumped back as the front of the capsule blew off to reveal a hooded young woman clothed in a white, circuitry-covered form-fitting bodysuit, with a white cloak. A status readout began scrolling through the girl's head.

**AI name: Serena**

**Weapon systems: Offline**

**Internal Dust reactor core: Online**

**Main Servos: Online**

**Heads-Up Display: Online**

**Memory Core: Offline**

**Initializing Start-Up Sequence…**

**Loading…**

**Start-up Sequence Complete…**

The girl opened her electric-blue eyes and stepped out of the capsule. A white helmet with an opaque black visor formed around her head, and a HUD popped up. She scanned the room, and saw the outlines of a set of weapons behind one wall. She walked over to the wall, and it slid apart, allowing the weapons to slide forward and reveal a pair of bracers, gauntlets, and a 7-foot tall scythe with a four foot long blade. The girl pulled on the armor, and then grabbed the scythe and put it on her back. Then she ran outside, looked around to get her bearings, and ran towards a garage. A pair of Beowulves ran out of the garage, and she ran straight towards them, pulling out her scythe as she did. Time seemed to slow down for the Beowulves, and she swung her scythe across one Beowulf, its top and bottom halves parting company. Then she spun and stabbed the other Beowulf through the heart.

After dispatching the two 'Wulves, she ran into the garage and looked around. She heard a rumble, and dropped into a crouch. Part of the floor irised open, and a sleek, white bike rose on a platform. She jumped onto the bike and gunned the motor, shooting out of the garage. She shot towards the main wall of the facility, and began driving along it, looking for an opening. An alert flashed on her visor, and she glanced to her right to see a pack of Beowulves moving to flank her, accompanied by two Ursai, an Ursa Major, and a good sized Deathstalker.

She looked down and saw a button flashing on the bike. She turned the bike towards the Grimm, jumped it, and pressed the button in mid-air. The bike mecha-shifted, and the girl was encased in a ten-foot tall mech in her image. The mech reached back and pulled out a massive scythe, then rolled in midair and landed on its feet in a crouch. It slashed down half the pack of Beowulves, then killed the other half on the backslash. The two Ursai charged towards the mech, and it jumped into the air and spun, separating the top and bottom of one Ursa, then slashed the other Ursa in half from top to bottom. The Ursa Major charged towards her, and time seemed to slow again. The mech slashed the Ursa once, twice, thrice, a fourth time. Time returned to normal, and the Ursa stiffened, then fell into four pieces.

The mech straightened up and folded down into a baton on the girl's thigh. She began walking away, only to have the tip of a massive orange stinger emerge from her chest. She arched her back, then fell forward. The Deathstalker stomped up to her and stood over her. Her eyes began to glow, and time reversed itself. When time went back to normal, she spun and caught the Deathstalkers stinger, and then shoved it back. The giant scorpion staggered back, then swung a claw at her. She leaped through the claw and planted a small round device on the inside of its claw. It swung the other claw and its stinger rapid succession, and she planted a device on each. She darted towards its head and planted another device on it. Then she leaped back and shimmered out of existence, and reappeared at least a hundred feet away. She snapped, and the devices she had planted on the Grimm activated and created four miniature black holes that destroyed the Grimm and vanished. She pulled out the baton and snapped it in half and the bike formed. She leaped on and drove towards the nearest city.

Beacon, Mid-day:

Ozpin finished watching the video, then turned to Glynda and said, "Glynda, you know what this means. The five that you have seen need to be on the same team, otherwise, we may not stand a chance against what is coming." Glynda nodded and walked out of the room.

**Name: Serena**

**Height: 6'2**

**Weight: 200 lbs. (Because she's mostly made of metal)**

**Race: Android**

**Abilities: Advanced hacking skills, inhuman strength, speed, durability and intelligence.**

**Weapons: Tick-Tock (Scythe), Energy Buckler, Chronos (Chronos is the mech/bike)**

**Semblance: Time Control (allows her to speed up, slow down, or reverse time as she sees fit.)**

**Background: She was built by Hunter, as sort of a little sister, as his mother and father were rendered sterile by Dust usage and Grimm blood. Her AI is one of the most advanced in all of Remnant, and is capable of inhabiting multiple devices at a time, and her body contains some of the most advanced tech in the world. **


	6. Chapter 6

The Rising Darkness, Part 1

I dashed towards the airship as fast as I could. I had gotten to the station late and was running to get to the airship before it took off. It took off just as I got there, and I skidded to a halt. "Well, shit," I swore as I put my fingers to my lips and blew a sky piercing whistle. A giant Nevermore with blue markings on its mask shot down out of the sky and I leaped up onto the Nevermores back as it took off again. We flew after the airship, and then pulled alongside it. Almost immediately slots opened in the sides of the airship, and flak cannons popped out. They started blasting away, and I erected a wall of pure force which the bullets struck harmlessly. Then I projected my mind into the airship and said telepathically, _"Hold your fire. We're friendlies!" _Someone must have gotten the message, because the flak cannons powered down and retracted, and we continued our flight to Beacon, looking for all the world like a Grimm escorting the massive airship. We landed at Beacon, and I leaped down, and then stroked the Nevermores head feathers. It gurgled with satisfaction in its throat, then got to its feet, spread it wings, and screamed an ear-piercing scream as it took off into the sky again.

Then, I heard someone behind me say, "Hey, loser, what's in the suitcase?" I turned to see a tall, brown-haired teen in full armor walk up to me, followed by three others. I just continued walking towards the school, ignoring him. He walked up to me and grabbed my shoulder, saying, "Don't ignore me, freak!" My eyes narrowed, and I crouched and drove an elbow hard into his gut. He went flying back into a wall, and I spun and kicked one of his friends straight between the legs with a steel-toed boot. He crumpled, and I spun towards one of the other guys and tapped a series of pressure points blindingly fast, and he crumpled, his muscles spasming. Then I spun the other way and jabbed the last guy in the gut with stiffened fingertips, and then spun again and kicked him in the jaw with my heel. Then I stepped back and grabbed my suitcase, then continued walking into the school.

As I walked in, Professor Ozpin finished his speech, and I walked over to the ballroom to get my bed set up. That night, I decided to change, and then do a bit of wandering. I pulled off my duster, and then my clothes blurred and shifted into a tank top and black sweats. Then as I wandered around, I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw a girl in a green tank top and black pajama pants. I could clearly see a green-scaled reptilian tail waving behind her. I walked over to her, tapped her shoulder and said, "Ra-Raven? Is that you? " She turned and replied, "Hunter!" as she charged me with a rib-crushing hug. "Can't…breathe" I said. "Oh! I'm sorry!" she responded. "Don't worry. I'm fine" I said as I kissed her gently. "I'm gonna bring my stuff over. Be back in a sec," I said, and then vanished with a muffled _bamf!_ and a puff of black smoke. I reappeared a second later with all my stuff and set it down.

The next morning, I woke up before everyone. My sleep-clothes blurred and shifted into my normal clothes. I pulled on my duster, and then bent and gently kissed Raven's sleeping face. Then I walked over to my locker and pulled out my weapons, starting with my claymore. As I pulled it out, it mecha-shifted into its full 6-foot long, foot wide glory. I swung it a couple times, and then swung it around to my back where it shifted down into a sheathed broadsword and attached itself to my back. Then I grabbed my scythe and spun it, mecha-shifting it into full size, then collapsed it again and set it on the back of my belt. I grabbed out my daggers, spun them into their pistol forms, checked the ammo loads, then spun them back into their dagger forms and slid them into their sheathes. I reached in again and grabbed my shield, which spiraled out to full size. It spiraled back down as I placed it on my wrist. I reached in yet again, and a silver chain slithered into my hand and wrapped around my wrist, then cinched itself shut around my wrist. I reached in one last time and pulled out a black leather harness, black box, and a pair of black metal bracers. I pulled off my duster and pulled the harness on over my t-shirt and slid the bracers up onto my arms. Then I opened the box and began pulling throwing knives out. I slotted 5 into each bracer, then slid one in each boot, two in sheathes on each thigh, two in sheathes on my belt, one in a sheath on a string down the back of my neck, and 16 into sheathes on the harness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I finally figured out how to do author's notes. :P Anyway, I would like to thank Jacklyn Frost and guest for reviewing my story. Also, to answer your question, Guest, Hunter and Raven are boyfriend and girlfriend. They met at Signal academy and fell in love. The rest is history.**

After breakfast, I headed out to the initiation area, which was perched on the edge of a cliff. Miss Goodwitch was standing at the cliff's edge and she turned towards me saying, "Hunter Soulthief? Last platform please." I nodded, then sat down on the platform.

After a couple hours, all the initiates had gathered, and I began scoping out people for my team. _Hmmm…_, I thought. _The blonde giant in blue is a possibility as a tank. As for the foxy little girl next to him, she's probably a pyro._ I returned my attention to Ozpin as he began to speak. "Today, you will be completing your initiation," he said as I got to my feet. "Your objectives are to land safely in the forest, reach the ruined temple, retrieve a relic, and return to this cliff alive with relic in hand. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you _will_ die."

"Question. You mention something about landing safely in the forest. Are you going to be dropping us off in an airship, or what?" I asked.

"No. You will be falling," he said.

"With no parachutes? So tell me this, how are you getting us…" I heard a rapid clicking from the platform I was standing on, then a loud thud as I was launched into the air.

Goodwitch walked up next to Ozpin and said, "I think he still had something to say."

Ozpin didn't answer except to snatch a throwing knife out the air. The knife had a piece of paper wrapped around it that said, _Best school ever! _He smirked at this, and Glynda said, "What?" He handed her the paper, and she said, "Oh god, not another one."

_Well, that answers that question, _I thought to myself as I flew through the air. I glanced around, and seeing no one, spread my wings and surged up with a strong downbeat. I hovered at the top of a thermal and saw the temple almost immediately. I tucked my wings in close to my back and dived, snapping them out again just before I hit the ground, then took off running in the direction of the temple.

I had been running for about 5 minutes when I literally ran into Raven, sending her flying. I rolled back to my feet instantly and ran to her side to check on her. She had a cut on her head where she had hit a rock and gotten knocked out. I rolled her over, and her emerald eyes slowly opened and focused on my amethyst eyes. "Hey, you okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Mmmmm… my head hurts," she said.

"Sorry. I ran into you. You fell and hit your head on a rock," I said with a tinge of relief. "Why don't I carry you to the temple? It's only about a mile away."

"Okay," she said as she stretched out her arms to me. I picked her up easily and began running towards the temple. We got there after a minute, and I gently set Raven on her feet. We walked towards the temple, and I noticed the relics. I nudged Raven and said, "Check it out. They're chess pieces, and by the looks of it, we're the first people here."

"You pick which piece," she said.

I looked at the pieces for a sec, and then grabbed the black rook. "Wait, do you hear that?" I said. "Gunfire, yelling, and… flames?" Raven said. We ran towards the commotion and found two fellow initiates battling an Alpha Beowulf. The blonde giant had pulled out a Hammer-class over-under grenade shotgun, while the vixen had lit herself on fire and was slashing at the beast with a pair of flaming swords. "They're barely holding their own," I said. "GET CLEAR!" I yelled as I pulled out my claymore.

It expanded to full size, and then split as I pulled the crosspiece apart. The two pieces formed into a pair of miniguns. I spun up the barrels, and then unleashed a hail of lead on the beast. It heard the roar of my guns and turned towards me just in time to get sliced in half by the bullets. I slapped the mini guns together and they shifted into the claymore, which I swung around and replaced on my back. The two initiates walked up to us, and the giant held out a hand and said, "Thanks for the help. My name's Mors, and this is Navira." The fox cut in and said, "But you can call me Navi."

"Isn't that the name of a fairy from a video game?" I asked.

"I actually did the voice for that fairy, thank you very much!" she responded.

"Do the thing, do the thing! It'll blow their minds!" Mors cut in.

She rolled her eyes, and then said in a high-pitched voice, "Hey! Listen!"

Raven and I just stood there, amazed, and then burst out laughing. "Oh my god, that was perfect! How did you do that?!" I said.

"Told you," she said.

"Alright. We've wasted enough time already. Here," I said as I tossed the other black rook to Mors. "I want you two on my team."

"Wait a second. That hair… and the way your eyes change color… I could swear I've seen you somewhere before. Are you Prince Hunter?" asked Navi.

"Guilty as charged," I said with a dramatic bow. "We need to move. There's Grimm scent headed this way." We began running with the speed of the nonhuman towards the cliffs. Then, I heard a boom, followed by footsteps moving towards us, and I pulled out my daggers. "Guys, split and hide!" I whispered to the others as I leaped up into a tree. Our follower ran into our clearing, and I jumped onto the white figure's back from above. She fell forward and rolled to her feet, pulling out a long, slim scythe as she did. I recognized the sword and yelled, "Serena, stop! It's me, Hunter! Your brother!" Sure enough, she replaced her scythe on her back and pulled down her hood to reveal the face of a teenage girl with orange eyes, long black hair, and pale skin. She rushed forward and hugged me, crying as she did. "Shhh…it's okay. I'm here now," I said, hugging her back. She disengaged, and I turned to the others and said, "Guys, I would like you to meet Serena Soulthief. She's my little sister, and one of the only synthetic people capable of generating an Aura. I built her." They all gathered around and after a couple minutes, I said, "We need to keep moving. That scent is moving closer." We continued running, until we reached some ruins on the edge of a deep chasm that blocked our path to the cliffs. "Guys, find somewhere to hide. I'm going up one of these columns to see what's chasing us," I said. They nodded and ran off as I flexed my fingers. Razor-sharp claws shot out of my fingertips, and I dug them into the column and began climbing. When I got to the tip of the column, I looked around and saw the Grimm immediately. It looked like a black dragon three times bigger than my pet Nevermore.

I leaped off the column and hit the ground hard, then signaled for the others to come out. "Bad news, guys. I've never seen a Grimm like that before in my life. Let's try and soften it up from here before it lands," I said as I pulled out my claymore. The others nodded, and I mecha-shifted Chaoseater into its minigun-mortar form and spun up the barrels. Mors' grenade-shotty shifted into an energy bow, while Raven switched to Dervish's assault rifle mode. Navi pulled out a pair of longswords and joined them at the pommels to form a flaming minigun, and Serena shifted her scythe into sniper mode. "Serena and Raven, you have the most precise weapons here. Aim for the eyes," I said. We opened fire, Mors, Navi, and I barraging the Grimm with energy arrows, bullets, and mortar shells from the ground, while Raven and Serena had climbed up onto columns to try and find the gigantic Grimm's weak points.

While I was reloading, I saw other teams coming out of the forest behind the Grimm. One of them stopped, and the leader said, "Hey, need any help?"

"No! Keep going to the cliffs, we'll keep the Grimm off your backs," I said as I dropped my minigun for a moment. I pulled out my daggers and threw them at the clifftop, extending the chains as far as I could. I picked up Chaoseater and kept firing as I said, "Use the chains to climb to the top of the cliff!"

Once all the other teams made it to the top, I pulled my daggers back, and then whipped them at the Grimm. I used one to swing onto its back, then ran to its head and jumped off. As I fell, my armor formed around me, dragging the Grimm's head to the ground with its weight. It crashed behind me, and I switched to my claymore and shield. I lifted my sword, and all hell broke loose as Mors blasted Navi into the air, and Serena and Raven leaped off their columns onto the dragon. It reared back its head, and then blasted me with a rippling jet of black fire as I began advancing towards it. I raised my shield, and the jet of flame deflected harmlessly all around me. My armor began to shift, a winged helm forming around my head, my duster shifting into a ragged cape, until I had become an intimidating, demonic looking figure. I leaped out of the flame, slashing at the dragons face.

This continued for five minutes, until I disengaged and yelled, "Disengage! Our attacks aren't doing any damage!" Everyone disengaged, and I leaped back in, switching to my scythe, and yelled, "Serena! Yin-Yang!" She leaped in, and I thrust out my right hand. A silver chain snaked out and wrapped around Serena's wrist, and we began orbiting the dragon, slashing with every turn. I looked at Serena and yelled, "Death in Time!" The chain unwrapped itself from around her wrist and she shot forward, slashing at the dragon's neck. Then she slowed time for the dragon, and I shot forward. I swung around the dragon's neck with my scythe, landed on top, and sliced its head off with a recoil assisted slash. The entire body crumbled into black dust, and I landed, shifting back to my normal form as the dust was sucked up into my duster.

Later that day, Beacon Academy initiation ceremony:

"And finally, Hunter Soulthief, Raven Nightshade, Serena Soulthief, Mors Darkreaver, and Navira Phynx. You five retrieved the black rook pieces. From this day forward, you shall be known as Team HRSMN (Horseman). Led by… Hunter Soulthief!" He turned towards me and said, "Congratulations," then, under his breath, "My liege." He winked at me, and I winked back as Raven gathered me in a crushing hug.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, back again with another amazing chapter of The Rising Darkness! In answer to your review, Jacklyn: Hunter is a prince. His Father and Mother are the king and queen of a small, hard to find kingdom. His kingdom may be small, but it still counts. Anyway, I hope you guys like this. Also, I forgot to add this in the last chapter, Ozpin gave HRSMN their own house.**

The next morning, I woke up and looked outside to see that it was still dark out. I pulled my gear out of my locker, geared up, and eased open my window, pulling it shut as I dropped, then ran to one of the training arenas.

Third Person POV:

When the others had woken up, they geared up and Mors, being a Wolf Faunus, tracked Hunter's scent to the training arenas, where a small crowd had gathered around one of the arenas. They muscled their way to the front of the crowd and saw hunter down in the arena, fighting a pack of Beowulves on his own. "I'm going down to help him!" said Raven as she drew Dervish. "Wait," said Mors. "He can handle them. They're only Grimm."

Hunter's POV:

I turned towards the sound of familiar voices just in time to get tackled by a Beowulf. The beast snapped at my throat and tore at my chest with its claws, tearing three massive gashes in my chest. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again, they were burning red. I grabbed the Beowulf's paws, and my hands flexed as I crushed the bones with my bare hands. It howled in pain, and I took the opportunity to reach up and snap its neck with a savage jerk. The body dissolved, and in the cloud of dust, I got to my feet, the wounds closing as I walked out.

I held out my hands, and my shield and claymore shot back to them from where they had skittered when I got knocked over. I spun and slashed through a Beowulf, and kept the spin going by slashing through another Beowulf with my shield. I spun and slashed down another Beowulf with my sword, then spun and threw my shield, killing all but one.

I pulled out a vial of Smoke Dust and crushed in my hand, generating a massive cloud of smoke. The Beowulf began looking around for me, and I came hurtling out of the cloud with my scythe raised. I slashed down, to no apparent effect. Somewhere in the crowd, I heard Cardin yell, "You missed, loser!" I snapped my fingers, and the Beowulf split apart cleanly from head to toe. "Care to say that again?" I said, my eyes still burning with rage and my voice deadly quiet.

Afterwards, the team and I headed to breakfast and classes. My first class was Professor Port's Grimm studies, and I sat in the back of the class. He made his customary introduction to the first years, and then did something unexpected. He had all the first years stand and introduce themselves. When it was my turn, I stood and said, "My name is Hunter Soulthief. My Semblance is Aura Theft, and I'm a human-Grimm hybrid." then sat back down. "Hmmm… A human-Grimm Hybrid, eh? Well, why don't you come down here and show us some techniques," he said. I vanished and reappeared in front of Port, fully geared up. "What am I fighting?" I asked as I slid my bracers onto my forearms. "That is for me to know and you to find out," Port said.

I sniffed the air and said, "No way. This…this isn't possible." I turned on Port and growled, "Where did you find this Grimm?" "Forever Fall," he said tilting head back to meet my eyes. "Fine. I'll fight this Grimm." He slashed the lock off the cage and the Grimm walked out in a cloud of darkness. I heard a voice in my head that said, _Oh, I know that you can't kill me. We're connected, you know that. _"Who said anything about killing you?" I growled. Then I darted forward and smacked the Grimm over the head with the pommel, knocking it out. "Keep him sedated. I'll be back after classes to pick him up," I said as I vanished yet again.

My next class was dueling class, with Professor Goodwitch. She walked out, and I heard wolf-whistles from of the new students. My eyes narrowed, and the offending students were immediately enclosed in shadow, effectively silencing them. Goodwitch glanced up and nodded her thanks to me, and I tipped her a casual salute. She continued walking, then said, "Welcome to dueling class. Today, we will fight a series of tournament-style duels to prepare you for the Vidal City Tournament coming up in a month. Our first duel will be … Team CRDL versus Hunter Soulthief!"

I nodded to her, then vanished and reappeared in the ring with all my gear. Team CRDL vaulted down and pulled out their weapons. "Ready to get pummeled, shrimp?" Cardin said, sneering. "You first, hardhead," I shot back as I pulled out my shield and claymore. He leaped forward and slammed his mace down on top of me.

Instantly, a cloud of smoke bloomed from a broken smoke vial, and CRDL backed away uneasily. Then they heard a hum from the cloud, like the hum of servo motors, followed by a boom. The hums and booms came faster and faster, until a ten-foot tall figure shot out of the smoke and slashed Dove into the air. The thing looked like a ten-foot tall version of Hunter, with weapons in proportion. It swung its sword towards Cardin and sent him flying, dropping his Aura into the red, then reached back and plucked Russel off its back, where he had been trying to electrocute it with a lightning Dust charge.

It smashed him into the floor twice, dropping his Aura into the red, then spun just in time for Dove to slash a rent in its face, revealing a sliver of Hunter's face and making it stagger back. It reached up and touched the rent, and blood was visible on its fingers. Its head snapped back to Dove, and vapor curled up from its eyes, which were glowing red. It stomped, blasting Dove and Sky back, then spun and slashed Dove out of the air. He slammed into a wall, his Aura dropping into the yellow. As he fell down, a massive fist slammed him into the wall again, knocking him out of the fight for good.

Then it leaped up, and Sky tried to track it, only to be blinded by a spotlight. He saw a shadow and looked up just in time to catch the mech's foot straight in the face. The mech landed on top of him and broke his nose, dropping his aura into the yellow. Then it stomped again and knocked him out of the fight. The lights came back on, and Goodwitch walked out into the arena as the mech folded itself down into a baton on Hunter's hip. "Well done, Hunter. You could have exercised some self-control with your last two opponents," she said. "Sorry," I said. "I went berserk after Dove slashed my face."

After Goodwitch's class, I headed to Dr. Oobleck's history of Remnant class. "Now, I'll keep this quick for you first-years, so let's get started!" he said as he zipped around the lecture hall. "Now, can anyone tell me why General Lagune's campaign against the Faunus failed?" I raised my hand and said, "Reason 1: All Faunus have much better night vision than humans. Reason 2: the Faunus army had a special regiment of Grimm trainers and Grimm. General Lagune failed because he attacked the Faunus at night, when his soldiers couldn't see in the dark, and were also under attack by trained Grimm." "Interesting. I've never heard of there being a Grimm regiment. Where did you learn this from?" he asked. "My great-grandfather was a Bat Faunus and the commander of the 501rst Grimm regiment," I said.

Then Cardin raised his hand and said, "I always thought it was because animals are easier to train than men." I lifted one arm, and a scope popped out of my bracer. There was a series of five _sss-thunk_s in quick succession, and five throwing knives appeared between Cardin's fingers. Then there came two loud _bamf!_s and I appeared in front of Cardin crouched on thin air and said, "Oops, must have been a misfire." As I leaned in to pull out the knives, I said quietly, "Next time, you lose all the fingers on your right hand." I vanished, then reappeared back in my seat and slotted the knives back into my bracer. After class, Oobleck called me down to his desk and said, "When you get some spare time I would like to have an interview with you about your great-grandfather." "I can do that," I said. "Also Professor Ozpin wants to see you up in his office immediately," he added before zipping out of the classroom.


	9. Chapter 9

**What's happening, my loyal readers. I'm back with another chapter of The Rising Darkness for ya. Ended on a wee bit of a cliffhanger there, so here's the rest of it. Virtual cupcakes, brownies, cookies, whatever you want if you follow, favorite, review, etc.**

**Boop!**

**Nora: Hey, that's my thing!**

**Me: Do you have a copyright?**

**Nora: No…..**

**Me: So you don't own it, do you?**

**Nora: Want me to break your legs? –grins evilly-**

**Me: -gulps- Good point.**

**Peace out, girl scouts!**

I headed up to the Clocktower and began climbing. After half an hour, I was only halfway up, and I said, "Screw it, I'm flying," as I vaulted over the bannister and snapped out my wings. I got to the top in about 30 seconds, and I walked up the massive door and knocked. "Come in," I heard from inside. I pushed the doors open, then walked towards Ozpin's desk. "So, I heard about your altercation with CRDL in dueling class," he said. "So Dove really did wound you. Why did you go berserk?"

"Sir, Dove slashed open an old wound that I got from an Alpha Beowulf. That wound was what caused me to berserk for the first time," I said. "Will they be okay?"

"Don't worry. Dove will be confined to the infirmary with five broken ribs, but Sky can still attend classes with a broken nose. Now, why did you threaten to cut off Cardin's fingers?" he asked.

"He insulted my great-grandfather and the entire Faunus race by calling them animals. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a bigot," I said.

"And in Port's class, you spared that Grimm. Why? Don't you want vengeance for what that creature has done to your family?"

"The creature and I are connected, by our blood. If it dies, I die. It knows that I will not hesitate to sacrifice myself to kill it if it harms my friends."

"Very well. You are dismissed."

I nodded, then jumped out the window. I snapped out my wings right before I hit the ground, and then teleported back to Port's class. "Did you keep him sedated?" I asked. "Yes," said Professor Port. "Good. I'll be taking him back to the house," I said as I placed one hand on top of the cage. The cage and I vanished and reappeared inside a pentacle, in the house. Raven was sitting on the couch reading, and she got up and asked, "What's in there?"

"You know that Grimm I told you about? The one that made me the way I am?" I said as I picked the lock on the cage. The door fell open, and Raven looked inside.

"Awww! He's so cute!" she said at the sight of the Grimm. One eye opened, and he lifted his head and growled at her, then dropped his head and fell asleep again.

A couple hours later, the rest of the team were home, and the Grimm had woken up and stayed awake. _Why did you bring me here? To torture me like your father did?_ it asked, broadcasting so we all heard it. "No. I brought you here… to make my peace with you," I said. It twitched its head back in surprise as I continued, "Vengeance was never what I wanted. What I truly wanted…was a chance to learn more about you, and in doing so, learn more about myself." I held out my hand to it, and it slowly reached out one hand-like claw.

Afterwards, I asked it, "Do you have a name for yourself?"

_Luca,_ he said. _My name is Luca._

"How did Port manage to capture you?"

_I stood out from the rest of the Grimm, because I'm one of the few non-soulless Grimm in existence. And yes, I can generate an Aura._

"You're serious?!"

_As serious as a heart-attack and twice as lethal,_ he said with a wolfish grin.

"What other-" I said as my scroll rang. "Hang on. Hello. Professor? Alright…alright…okay, bye!" I hung up my scroll, then turned to the others and said, "That was Ozpin. We've been assigned to patrol Vytal City tonight. Lucario, you're coming with us." We ran outside to our bikes, which I had commissioned two months before. Raven's bike and mine were essentially copies of Serena's, with mine in black and Raven's in an iridescent green. Navi's bike looked like a chopper with flaming wheels, while Mors' looked much the same, but with wheels formed of arcs of electricity

We drove into town, Luca morphing into a ball of black energy that zipped along behind my shoulder. "Luca, take this," I said as I held up an earpiece that formed in my hand. He darted forward, and an arc of of black electricity zapped the earpiece and it was absorbed into the ball. "I'm assigning call-signs to everyone. Navi, you're Fox. Mors, you're Hammer. Raven, you're Dragon. Serena, you're Clockwork, and Luca, you're Grimm," I said.

"What's your call-sign?" asked Serena.

"My call-sign is Soulthief," I responded. "Now, Navi and Mors, you take the west side of the city. Serena, take a drone and Luca and patrol the east. Raven, you go straight down the middle. I need to pay a certain someone a visit."

We peeled off towards our areas, and I pulled up in front of a club, my helmet turning into an imposing Grimm mask. As I walked toward the club, the bouncers saw my weapons and ran to close the doors. As they closed the doors, the slits of my mask glowed red, and my gauntlets were surrounded by a black aura. I lifted my hands, clenched them into claws, and then shoved them forward. A ripple went through the air, and the doors were blasted open, sending the bouncers flying.

I stalked up to the bar and said, "Gimme the strongest thing you got." "Look, kid, I'm gonna need to see some…" He trailed off as he stared down the barrel of a .50 pistol. "And while you're at it, get your boss out here. He and I need to talk," I said as he poured my drink. Junior came walking out, flanked by his daughters and said, "Ughhhh… What now?" I gulped down my drink, then tossed down the glass and picked up Junior in one hand. I slammed him into the wall and said, my voice deadly quiet, "I hear you've been lending your men to Roman Torchwick. That ends today." "Put…me…down," he said, struggling for breath. I dropped him, and he got to his feet and walked towards the dance floor. "Aw, come on, Junior, it was just a joke. Why don't we shake hands and call it good?" I said as I followed him.

I extended my hand, which Junior clasped, and then I spun and slung him into a wall. "Hahaha! They always fall for that! I would've thought you'd've learned from a certain blonde brawler!" I said as I doubled over laughing. Junior's men opened fire, and I swung my duster around so the bullets ricocheted off it. A cloud of smoke and dust rose, and the slits of my Grimm mask glowed red as I grinned a fanged grin.

I shot out of the cloud and kicked one of the goons in the face, then darted forward and kicked another between his legs with a steel-toed boot. I quickly dispatched the rest of the men with a slash from my scythe as the music changed. The twins stalked out onto the dance floor, and Melanie said, "You know what happens when people trash Daddy's club?" "What, do we get free drinks?" I said with a devilish grin on my face. "No," said Militiades. "He lets us kill them!"

Militiades charged at me first, slashing at me with her claws, and I sidestepped, tripping her as I did. I teleported, caught her, and said, "Well, aren't you the eager one? We only just met, and you're practically falling into my arms." She slashed at my face, and I teleported again. She hit the ground hard, and I said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you up." I grabbed her outstretched hand and slung her through a glass column. "Oops, sorry. Sometimes I just don't know my own strength," I said.

Then Melanie tried to eviscerate me with her heel blades, and I teleported away from her, then whipped out my silver chain. The chain snaked out and wrapped around her waist, and I pulled her into me. "First your sister, and now you? I must say, you look way more kissable than your sister," I said as I pulled her in close. She tried to stomp on my foot, and I caught her foot in my armored hand, then jumped into the air. I spun in midair, then slung Melanie through a table. "Sorry! Me and my frickin' buterfingers! I love you too!" I said as I dropped back to the ground.

Then the music changed again, and a single spotlight shone down on Junior. "Nobody beats up on my girls and trashes my club. NOBODY!" he yelled as he launched two salvos of rockets at me. I pulled out my daggers and swung them on the ends of their chains, slicing each missile in half. Then he came hurtling out of the cloud and smacked me in the side of the face with his bat. He hit me up into the air, then swung his bat like he was trying to hit a home run. The bat hit me in the side, breaking a few ribs, and launched me into the rack of bottles behind the bar. The impact broke several of the bottles, embedding the glass deep into my back. I fell down behind the bar and fell unconscious.

Junior swung his bat up onto his shoulder, then stiffened in surprise when he saw a bloody gauntlet latch onto the bar. The teen he thought he just killed rose up from behind the bar, grinning demonically, with half of his mask shattered and embedded in his face, the other half smeared with blood. A red glow came from the eye slits of the half-mask, and the apparition said, "Big mistake, Junior. Big. Frickin'. Mistake."

It reached back and pulled out a massive black scythe, then began advancing slowly towards Junior, phasing straight through the bar like a ghost. Junior tried hitting it with his bat, but the bat just phased through. It drew back its scythe, then slashed Junior across his stomach, opening a shallow, yet excruciatingly painful gash. Then it slashed up, opening another gash that crossed the first one. It kicked Junior in the chest, knocking him down, then bent over him and said, "Remember this face, Junior. May it haunt your nightmares until the day you die." Then the ghoul walked out of the club, into the night.

When I got outside, the glow in my remaining eye flickered and died, and I walked towards the others, who had been told to meet here by Serena. I stumbled, and then collapsed entirely. Raven rushed to my side. "Hunter!" she yelled. She turned me over, gasping when she saw my injuries. "We have to get him back to Beacon," she said.

**And on that note, because I was in a bit of an evil mood while writing this, I will end this chapter of The Rising Darkness. MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! CLIFFHANGERS FOR THE WIN! Don't forget to follow, favorite, review, etc., or no treats for you! Buh-bye now! BOOP!**

**Nora: Oh, Ezra… -cracks knuckles-**

**Me: OH GOD, NOOOO! – screams- HELP!**

**Ren: Here, try this! –tosses industrial strength tranquilizer pistol to me-**

**Me: Thanks! (tranq pistol fires)**

**Nora: GAHHHhhh… (sings in a loopy voice) I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the…-singing trails off into snoring-**

**Me: Whew!**


	10. Chapter 10

"We have to get him back to Beacon," said Raven. "Serena, get us some wheels." Serena nodded and said, "You got it," as she closed her eyes. Raven opened her hand, and a pentacle flickered to life above it. She gently placed her hand on Hunter's chest, and the pentacle sank in and dissolved in a wash of gentle white light that spread over Hunter's body. He stopped breathing, and his heart stopped. "I used a Stasis pentacle on him. It'll preserve all of his bodily functions as they were before I cast the pentacle," Raven explained as she got to her feet and brushed off her jeans.

A spotlight shone down, and an odd looking VTOL plane touched down. Instead of the usual jets on the wings, like a Bullhead, it had a pair of turbo-props in the middle of the wings that tilted back and forth to provide thrust. A door opened in the side, and Mors picked up Hunter's body and laid it on a stretcher in the jet. A glowing field enveloped the stretcher, and it lifted off the floor and hovered in midair. Serena took over control of the jet, and it lifted off and shot towards Beacon.

Raven did a quick headcount, and said, "Where's Luca? Serena, wasn't he with you?"

"He was, but I never really saw him. I only got quick glimpses from the rooftops," she said, never taking her eyes off the viewscreen and HUD.

There came a loud thud, then a spider-like face, covered by a Grimm mask, appeared from above the viewscreen. It screeched, then began hammering at the glass with one leg. The glass spiderwebbed, and the leg broke through with the next hit. Then the leg was pulled out rather violently, as another thud sounded from the roof.

"Serena, get me a visual on the roof!" Raven shouted.

"Coming up now on your HUD," she answered calmly.

A camera popped up on the roof, and Raven saw a certain upright jackal of a Grimm dragging the spider across the roof. "It's Luca! He's back!" Raven said with a tinge of relief. She didn't like Grimm, but this was one Grimm she would trust to fight at her side.

Luca dragged the spider onto a wing, then asked, _Serena, would it do any damage to the plane if I dropped this oversized bug through the prop?_

"Nope. Those props are made of an alloy of titanium and darksteel. They're the most durable props in the world," she answered.

_Excellent, _he said as he lifted the squalling Grimm over his head. He threw the Grimm down into the prop, and it vanished into a cloud of bloody mist. Then he walked back to the roof, crossed his arms over his chest, and phased down through the roof. _Well, that was fun, to say the least, _he said. He looked around and saw the stretcher, and his eyes widened in shock. His head snapped back, and he growled at Raven. _WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM! _he mentally thundered, making Raven cringe from the pain. _Never mind. I'll just find out myself,_ he snapped. He pushed one claw through the field and touched Hunter's forehead for a moment, then withdrew. _My apologies, _he said. _It would appear I was mistaken as to the cause of his injuries. He was too lenient with that man, in my opinion._

After a couple more minutes, they arrived at Beacon, and Mors scooped up Hunter's body. "Gather up, people," said Raven. They clustered around her, and a pentacle formed under their feet. They phased down into the ground, then rose up out of the infirmary floor. "We need a doctor!" Raven shouted. A couple of nurses ran up immediately with a stretcher, and Mors gently set Hunter down on it. "I'm not getting any vitals!" said one of the nurses. "I placed a Stasis Field on him," said Raven. "He won't feel pain or bleed. You can operate on him in that condition."

The nurses rushed Hunter into an operating room, while the rest of the team sat down and soon fell asleep. All save one. The sleepless member of the group cast his mind into the operating room and watched, unseen, as one of the surgeons made an incision in Hunter's back and pulled out a piece of metal. As he pulled it out, the blood on the metal began sizzling, and the surgeon almost dropped it in his surprise. He quickly set it into a tray, and Luca drifted closer to examine the metal. _Noon-forged steel? Where did Junior get that? _he thought to himself. He looked closer and saw what the fragment really was. _A bullet made of noon-forged steel? Curiouser and curiouser, _he thought. Then he drifted back to his body and stood watch for the rest of the night.

The next morning, a nurse came out and said, "Team HRSMN? Your leader is awake." Raven went from sound asleep to wide awake over the course of a second and shot to her feet. She immediately ran past Luca, who was waking up the others, and ran down the hall. She skidded around a corner and dashed into Hunter's room where he was lying with his eyes closed.

Hunter's POV:

I slowly opened my eyes to see a blur of green and black come hurtling into the room. It resolved itself into Raven, who ran to my bedside and hugged me. I winced, and she disengaged. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" she said.

"Yeah," I said. The rest of the team filed into the room, and Mors said, "Dude. You look like crap."

"I would think that's to be expected, considering what I've been through," I said, smiling weakly at his words. Luca walked in after everyone else and said, _Morning, Sleeping Beauty. I watched the surgery last night._

"And?" I said.

_One of the surgeons pulled a bullet made of noon-forged steel out of your back. _

"Noon-forged steel, huh? That must've been what killed me," I said.

"You died?" asked Navi.

"Yeah," I said. "But as long as Luca's alive, no matter how damaged my body is, I won't die."

The nurse walked in, and said, "Your injuries were quite extensive. How did you get them?"

"Ummm... bar fight?" I said.

"Very well. Your injuries are as follows: five shattered ribs, major damage to the left eye, as well as the left side of your face, one shattered vertebra, and massive lacerations to your back. Also, the bones in your right arm were reduced to bone meal by the impact. If it weren't for your extremely acclerated healing rate, I would say that you would never walk again. However, I've seen you recover from worse," she said.

"What…huh…who are you?" I said.

"Oh, don't you recognize me, Hunter?" she said, her glasses slipping further down her nose. She looked at me over the rims, and then it clicked.

"Zoey?" I said, not believing my eye.

"Yes, it's me. Your parents sent me here to make sure you always had the proper care," she said.

"Guys, this is Dr. Zoey. She's an expert in the field of Grimm physiology, as well as human. My parents hired her as my personal physician when I was born, because I'm a human-Grimm hybrid," I said.

"Now, I'm going to take the bandages off your face, and you tell me what you think," she said. She began unwrapping the bandages, then held up a mirror when she finished. My eyes had been replaced with mechanical ones, and the left side of my face was smooth synth-skin.

"The damage to your eyes, arm and face was irrepairable, so they replaced them with the most advanced prosthetics in the world. The eyes enhance your night and distance vision tenfold, while the automail arm increases your strength in that arm tenfold. I've uploaded the blueprints for both into your scroll," she said.

"Ya know, I think I like this look," I said, grinning as I changed the colors of my eyes. Then my teammates helped me into a wheelchair and we headed back to the house. I immediately went down to the basement, which we had converted into a combination forge/machine shop/lab, and began working on… _something_, which I never let my teammates see. After a day or so, I wheeled up out of the lab with a metal suitcase in my lap, and I said, "Guys, come here and check out what I built."

They all gathered round as I pulled off my shirt, wearing only a tank-top underneath. i set the suitcase on the ground at my feet and knocked on it twice. It opened and extruded two strips of metal, which unfolded up my legs, then up my back and down my arms. It unfolded an interlink pad and connected it to my neck, and I braced my arms against the arms of my wheelchair and slowly stood up. I pulled my shirt and duster back on, then summoned a mirror. The exoskeleton had bulked me up a bit and made me a bit taller. "So, what do you think? If you want, I can make 4 more for you guys," I said.

_Oh, sure, forget completely about the sentient Grimm. God, it's like I don't even exist,_ Luca grumbled.

"I didn't forget about you. This mobile factory can construct the exos in a matter of seconds based of the parameters and preferences of the user. Here, let me show you. Raven, you first," I said. She stepped forward, and I typed a series of commands into a holo-keyboard on my arm. The case repeated the process with her, with some changes. It slid up under her clothes and encased her entire body in green, form-fitting dragonscale armor. It also extended to cover her tail and wings, and she flicked her tail back and forth, the armor flexing smoothly with the motion.

Serena stepped up next, and the exo formed into smooth white armor, with a gear design on one shoulder. Then came Mors, and his armor was big, bulky, and blue, just like him. Navi stepped up, and her armor was sleek and smooth. It was colored a burning red, like her hair. Lastly came Luca. I typed in his specs, and the armor folded out along his arms and encased his entire body in metal, then folded out along his lower jaw. The top part of his helmet formed behind his head, then snapped down. The eye-slits glowed a dark, burning red. He looked at himself in the mirror and said, _Hunter, I must say, you've outdone yourself on this one. I like it._

"Why, thank you, Luca," I said with a bow and flourish. "Luca, you'll be sticking with us for classes. Our first is Goodwitch's, and we got it as a team. You guys head out, I'll meet you halfway. I need to find something."

They headed out, and halfway to Goodwitch's class, Raven heard a loud _bamf!_ next to her, and she started to say, "Did you find…" Then she turned to look, and she saw a figure wearing a terrifying Grimm mask. The eye-slits glowed red, and the apparition bared its pointed teeth in a demonic grin. She gasped, and the figure said, "Oh come on, Raven, you've seen me wear this into battle before."

"I know, but it still freaks me out," she said. We got to Goodwitch's class, and I heard a familiar voice say, "Hey, loser, nice pet!" We all froze, and Luca turned to me and said, _Please? Can I, just this once?_

"Fine, but no mutilation," I said under my breath. He grinned wolfishly, and his mask snapped down. He vanished in a puff of black smoke, and flew out of the air in front of Cardin, knocking him to the ground with a kick to the chest. He crouched on Cardin's chest and growled, _I am no one's PET! _He spat the last word with venom, then snapped at Cardin's throat, stopping a millimeter away. _Next time I won't stop, _he growled as he got to his feet. We took our seats and Goodwitch walked out.


	11. Chapter 11

**What's up, it's your favorite nephilim here with another chapter of The Rising Darkness. So, some of you might be wondering who I am. This is a basic description of me: tall, lean, strong, silver hair and my eyes change color. Is this who I really am? NO!(But that is the way I want to look) However, if you're wondering what music to listen to while writing, I recommend the Halo 4 soundtrack. The music in it is perfect for writing parts heavy in action and stuff like that. Also, the previous chapter occurs a year after Chapters 1-3. Later! BOOP!**

**Nora: How many times do I have to tell you, that is MINE!**

**Me: Not any more. I bought the copyright from Rooster Teeth.**

**Nora: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Me: CHILL, NORA! –shoots her with tranq gun again-**

"Now, tournament style duels are fought between varied numbers of opponents, based on their skill level. We apply the same system here at Beacon. The first match will be Team HRSMN versus Teams RWBY, JNPR, and SSSN," said Prof. Goodwitch.

"Alright, we'll take it," I responded cockily. We jumped down into the arena, and I called a huddle to discuss strategy.

"I'm transmitting the specs of the other teams to your Scrolls now," I said as I tapped a series of commands into my arm. "Pyrrha is the dangerous one. Don't let her touch you, or you'll never hit her. I need you guys to keep her off my back while I deal with the leaders. Then, _I'll_ deal with her. Got it?" Heads nodded all around, and I said, "Alright. LET'S DO THIS!" We broke up our huddle and headed to the middle of the arena. "We're ready," I said to Goodwitch. She nodded, and the other teams moved into the middle of the arena.

I eyed the other leaders, scanning them and their weapons, then dropped to my fighting stance. I heard Goodwitch say, "Fight!" then Raven and Serena looked at each other, and Raven said, "Tick tock goes the clock,"

"But where it goes, nobody knows," Serena responded. Then they stepped back into black rifts that opened in midair, then vanished. Then the rifts began opening and closing all over the place, each time pulling in another student and spitting them out, unconscious. However, when ever a rift was about to open, a shimmer would appear. Ruby drew a bead on a shimmer and fired, and Raven tumbled out, holding her side as red bloomed across her shirt.

I saw the blood, and my eyes turned red. I teleported up to Pyrrha, and my gauntlet lit up with black fire. My fingers stiffened into a claw, and my hand phased through Pyrrha's chest, pulling out something wispy. The wisp was absorbed into my gauntlet, and I turned on Ruby. My mechanical arm formed into a cannon, and a beam of black energy hit Ruby in the chest, blasting her into a wall. She was pinned by the beam, her Aura levels dropping fast. The beam shut off, and she collapsed at the base of the wall out cold.

The cannon reformed into my arm, and I lifted it, my hand surrounded by a black aura. All of my opponents' weapons rattled in their hands, then shot towards me. I slowly turned my hand, and the weapons turned to their owners and began spinning. I clenched my hand into a fist, and the floating weapons attacked their owners, knocking them out.

My hand stopped glowing, and I rushed over to Raven, my eyes turning gray with concern. She stirred as I approached and I gently removed her shirt and examined the rent in her armor. The bullet wound was large and bleeding profusely, but it was clean, with a clear exit wound in her back. I gently picked her up, then turned to Goodwitch and said, "I'm headed to the infirmary. See that the other teams are okay for me, please." Then I vanished with a bang and puff of smoke.

The nurse on duty at the desk jumped when I appeared out of thin air with a bang. i turned to her and said, "Need some help here." The nurse called for a gurney, and the doctor who arrived turned to me and asked, "What happened?"

"Bullet wound from an HVSS, clean entry and exit wounds, no damage to the lung," I responded tersely.

"I need some info…," he said.

"Race, Faunus, sub-race, Dragon Faunus. She can take any blood-type except mine," I said.

They wheeled her into an operating room, then covered the wound with synth-skin and bandaged it. "We're going to have to keep her overnight," the doctor told me.

"Fine, but Luca and I are staying," I said.

"For what reason?" the doctor asked.

"Someone has already made an attempt on my life and succeeded. I'm not going to let that happen to Raven," I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.

That night, while Luca and I were standing guard outside the room, I sensed a rift open in the room, and Luca and I charged in. I saw a baby Deathstalker straddling Raven's legs, its tail raised to strike. Before the giant scorpion could strike, I grabbed the stinger and swung it against a wall, then pulled out a dagger and stabbed it through the head. Raven woke up from the commotion and asked, "What was that?"

"Don't worry about it," I said gently. "Just go back to sleep." I kissed her forehead gently, then left the room.

The next morning, I walked in just as Raven woke up. "Mmmmm… Morning, dark angel," she said as she stretched and yawned.

"Morning, scales," I said. "They've cleared you to go back to the house." Just then, a nurse poked her head in and said, "Hunter Soulthief? You've been called up to the Clocktower."

"Got it. Luca, would you be so kind as to walk Raven home?" He nodded as I teleported to the Clocktower. The teleport dropped me off a distance away from the tower, and I cursed and muttered, "Gonna make me do this the hard way, huh?" I ran at top speed toward the wall of the tower, then ran up it, using the claws on the fingertips of my gauntlets to keep my speed up. I stopped at Ozpin's office window and tapped on the glass with a claw. "Come in!" he said without looking up from his screen.

I stepped forward and ghosted through the glass, then said, "You called for me, sir?"

"Indeed I did," he said, turning towards me.

"What for?"

"You may be wondering why you have a five man team, composed of the most powerful non-humans of their generation."

"It had crossed my mind once or twice."

"You may know that Glynda has other abilities besides just Dust Manipulation. About a year ago, she had a premonition of impending doom. Both she and I have seen the warning signs." He leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together. "Around the same time as Glynda's premonition, the members of your team began showing up." He got to his feet and walked over to me. He had to tilt his head back to look me in the eye. "Hunter, a great darkness is coming, and none can hope to stand against it. None save you and your team. You are Remnant's only hope." He turned away from me and said, "Beacon can offer nothing more for your team but a safe place to train and live. It falls to you to train them for what is coming. If you would like to attend class, you may, but it is not mandatory." I nodded at this, then turned back to the window and started to step through. Then Ozpin said, "My liege, know this. You will not stand alone against the darkness. When the time comes, the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale will stand with you."

"Thank you," I said as I ghosted back through the glass. I turned around on the ledge and spread my arms, then slowly fell backwards.

Ozpin's POV:

I rushed to the window as Hunter fell back off the ledge. He fell to 100 feet, then snapped out his wings and soared off towards team HRSMN's house. _Always so dramatic,_ I thought to myself, grinning.

Hunters POV:

I landed at the house and walked in. "Guys, Ozpin's turned the responsibility of your training over to me. At this time, Luca, you can choose to leave the team or stay. I already know there's nothing more I can teach you," I said. _I think I'll take that option then, _Luca said. _I'll only be a burden to you._ He vanished and I turned to the others. "Gear up and head down to the arena," I said. Five minutes later, the rest of the team was sprawled around the arena, and I was standing in the middle, not even breathing hard. "We have a lot of work to do," I said.


	12. Chapter 12

**Heeee's Baaacck! Poltergeist reference for ya. Anyhoo, I decided to skip the two years of brutal training Hunter puts the Horsemen through. By the way, if you're wondering, I based Team HRSMN off the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Hunter is Death, Mors is War, Raven is Fury, Navi is Strife, Serena is Time, and Luca is Fear. Granted, I know that there are usually only four Horsemen, but who they are can be debated. In my opinion, Death, War, Fury, and Strife are the true Horsemen, but Fury and Strife are interchangeable with Time and Fear. I loved all my characters so much that I had to keep all of them. Also, I based Luca off of Lucario. Or did I already say that? I don't know, there are times that it seems like I have the short-term memory of an amoeba…**

**Nora: Oooooh, Eeeezzzz-ra! Ren made pancakes!**

**Me: What? Gimme gimme gimme!**

**Nora: Just kidding!**

**Me: DAMMIT NORA! You know I hate it when people sidetrack me! Now I don't remember what I was trying to say!**

**Weiss: Will all of you just SHUT UP!**

**Me: If you say so, Ice Queen!**

**Weiss: What was that? –pulls out Myrtenaster and switches to lightning Dust-**

**Me: -Gulps- Nothing!**

**Later, peeps!**

**BOOP!**

**Nora: GAHHHHHH!**

Two Years Later:

"I'm proud of you guys. Before the training, I could beat all of you easily, without even breathing hard. Now, I can't beat you at all," I said. The brutal training I had put my team through had changed them. Whereas two years ago, they had barely posed a threat to me as a team, now they had a very substantial chance of beating me 1-on-1. They had gone from mere small-Grimm hunters to lean, strong Huntsmen and Huntresses of the highest caliber. "You guys deserve a bit of a reward. What do you say…" My Scroll rang and cut me off. "Yo. Right… Right… Got it. We'll take care of it. Bye," I said as I hung up my Scroll. "That was Ozpin. A village on the outskirts of the kingdom is under attack from Grimm," I said.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Raven said. We ran to the garage and leaped onto our bikes. The floor of the garage lowered into a ramp, and we shot down a twisting tunnel that emerged onto the freeway. It took us an hour to reach the village, and we drove up onto a hill overlooking the scene. "It looks pretty bad down there," I said as I got back onto my bike. "This will be a good chance to try out the alternate forms of our bikes." I tapped out a code sequence on my arm, then said, "Authentication code: 453796 Alpha. Execute HORSEMEN Protocol." Our bikes shifted under us into horses with fiery manes and hooves. We rode up to the crest of the hill and looked down, silhouetted against the setting sun.

Below, the villagers were fighting the Grimm valiantly with swords that had been passed from father to son for generations, and ancient firearms. One of the villagers saw something move at the top of a hill to the west, and he shouted to the others and pointed. Five mounted figures appeared, silhouetted against the sun. One was holding a scythe, one held a pair of swords that shimmered with heat, one bore a slim longsword, one held a massive sword, and the last held a massive warhammer, whose head crackled with electricity. The figures paused at the crest of the hill, then the lead figure raised its sword, and the riders charged down into the village.

Hunter's POV:

We charged into the village, and I heard a voice shout, "It's the Huntsmen! They're here to save us!" I slashed down Grimm left and right with my claymore, then reined in my horse. It reared and flailed at the air with its hooves, and I lifted my sword. The claymore shifted into an eight-foot long lance, and I leveled it at the three-headed Cerberus in the middle of the village. I touched my heels to my horse's flanks and charged the giant Grimm. When the head of the lance hit its chest, it penetrated a foot deep, then I pulled the trigger and a mortar shell shot out of the head and blasted a four-foot wide hole in the beasts chest.

Raven's POV:

As we charged down the hill, we split off from Hunter and barreled into the midst of the Grimm. I began creating pentacles left and right, summoning bursts of fire, ice, pillars of rock, and Grimm minions. I slashed through five Beowulves, then saw an Ursa corner a couple of kids. I focused, weaving my hands through a complex series of gestures, and a pentacle formed in front of the Ursa. A female being with snakes for hair rose out of the pentacle and faced the Ursa. The Ursa made the mistake of roaring in the being's face, and it turned to stone. The being sank back down into a pentacle, and I continued slashing through Grimm.

Serena's POV:

I slashed through an Ursa with a recoil-assisted backslash, then swung Tick-Tock and beheaded a row of Beowulves. Another Beowulf jumped onto my horse, and I tapped a button. My visuals brightened as an electric pulse shot through my horse, and with a loud snap, the Beowulf was reduced to charcoal. I tossed out a canister, and it hovered for a moment, then jetted towards a massive group of Grimm. It flew into the middle, then imploded and sucked the Grimm into a miniature black hole, which promptly collapsed. I smirked, then continued on my Grimm-killing spree.

Mors' POV:

I swung my hammer, hitting an Ursa in the chest and sending it flying. It slammed into an Ursa Major, and both Grimm died. "Twenty points!" I yelled, laughing. Then I impaled a Beowulf on the spike that protruded from the back of the head of my hammer, and I shoved its face to the ground. "Mind the big rocks!" I yelled as the 'Wulf smashed face-first into several. An Ursa swung at me and knocked me out of the saddle, and I hit the ground and rolled several times. Then I leaped back to my feet and raised my hammer, then slammed the butt on the ground as a bolt of lightning struck the head. I raised one hand, and the lightning arced into it. The lightning blasted out and began annihilating Grimm. I laughed as I played the lightning back and forth.

Navi's POV:

I sprayed flaming bullets from my SMGs, laughing as I saw Ursai and Beowulves rolling on the ground, trying to put out the flames. I put the guns together at the grips, and they formed into my claymore, Salvation. I slashed left and right, mowing down Grimm with every swing. A Beowulf leaped onto my back and tried to sink it teeth in my neck. I burst into flames, and the Grimm burned into ash.

Hunter's POV:

I slashed down the last Grimm, and then looked around. The rest of my team gathered, and I rode up to the town's Huntsman and said, "It's okay. You're safe now."

"Thank you. Your intervention was most timely," said the Huntsman as I pulled down my hood. He saw the Grimm mask/helm I was wearing and stepped back.

"What's the matter?"

"I hope that's just a helm," he said.

"Right. Got it. Completely forgot I was wearing this thing," I said as I pressed a button on the side. The helm folded into the Grimm mask I had taken to wearing since my "accident". "Materials and workers to help you rebuild are on the way. Also, Raven here is going to leave some of her friends here to help guard the village." The Huntsman nodded, and we headed out of the village. On the outskirts, we found a girl kneeling by a man who had collapsed. I dismounted and walked over, then asked the girl, "What happened?"

"He was wounded by a Beowulf, and when he killed it, its blood got into the wound," she said.

"You probably already know what Grimm blood does if it gets into a wound," I said. The girl nodded. "Alright, I need you to go over to the rider in green, okay? There's only one thing I can do, and I don't want you to see this." The girl nodded and walked over to Raven, then turned away from me. I pulled out one of my pistols and shot the man in the head, and his body dissolved into black dust. I reholstered my pistol, then walked back to my horse and mounted. "Here, hop up here and I'll give you a ride back to the village," I said, offering her my right hand. She grabbed it, and I lifted her up into the saddle behind me. I rode back to the village and dropped her off, then rode back to the rest of the team.


End file.
